Disinfecting cationic polymer cleaner comprising an acrylate cationic polymer

ABSTRACT

Acidic hard surface cleaners are disclosed having a disinfectant which is a quaternary ammonium biocide and/or a substituted guanidine biocide such as a biguanide biocide. There is also a cationic polymer and a surfactant which does not have an anionic moiety. Water is also included at the time of use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cleaners, particularly hard surfacecleaners in which the cleaner imparts desired cleaning and surfaceappearance characteristics to the surface being cleaned while alsodisinfecting the surface being cleaned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are a variety of known hard surface cleaning materials, includinga number which are designed for cleaning and otherwise improving theappearance of floors and the like. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,976,501,4,443,363, 4,596,668, 4,880,558, 5,000,867, 5,348,678, 5,811,386,5,965,514, 6,159,924 and 6,325,862.

There have also been suggestions to include in a hard surface cleaner aquaternary ammonium compound as a germicidal active to disinfect a hardsurface while it is being cleaned. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,327.This patent specifically suggests the use of an alkyl dimethyl benzylammonium chloride compound, such as BTC® 2125M, as a preferredquaternary ammonium germicide.

There has also be some use of biguanide (a/k/a diguanide) antimicrobialcompounds in cleaners (e.g. especially skin cleaners) where the cleanerkills bacteria on the surface it is applied to. See U.S. Pat. No.6,071,866.

Also, it has been suggested to incorporate biguanides and/or ammoniumcompounds (such as benzylalkyldimethylammonium chloride) in cleaners toact as preservatives while the cleaner is stored. See e.g. Europeanpatent application 017,149.

It has been further proposed to included substituted guanidineanti-microbial agents in a sanitizing composition. See U.S. Pat. No.5,000,867.

Some cationic polymers have also been proposed for incorporation incertain cleaning materials to improve cleaning effectiveness or impartdesired attributes to the surface after being cleaned. See e.g. EP017,149 and 6,251,849.

However, there is a continuing need to develop improved cleaningmaterials, particularly for floor care cleaners that require adisinfecting capability (e.g. for hospital maintenance). In this regard,formulation components that act as effective cleaners or disinfectantsfor floors may not be optimal for imparting desired residualcharacteristics to the surface (e.g. imparting shine; avoiding slipperyconditions; avoiding unduly long periods for drying).

In some cases the art has split the cleaning/disinfecting and thesurface treating functions into two separate products. It is much moredesirable to have a single step (“one-step”) product that addresses theneeded cleaning and disinfecting characteristics in a very efficientmanner, yet also leaves desired residual properties.

Further complicating matters is that if one tries to simply increase thelevel of biocide incorporated in the formulation, the cost of the finalproduct can be adversely impacted and the nature of the product can bealtered in a way that causes the product to have poor suspensioncharacteristics. It would be particularly desirable to use relativelylow levels of a biocide, yet find a way to improve biocidal activity ofthe existing amount of biocide.

Thus, a need still exists to develop improved hard surface cleaners thatalso are designed to disinfect floors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has been discovered that the combination of cationic polymers,preferably cationic emulsion polymers, even more preferably cationicemulsion polymers having an acrylate monomer moiety, will causesynergistic biocidal activity with quaternary ammonium biocides and/orsubstituted guanidine biocides, in hard surface cleaner formulations.

In one aspect the invention provides a cleaner having a pH of 7.0 orlower (preferably between 4.0 and 6.0). The cleaner includes (i) abiocidal disinfecting material selected from the group consisting ofquaternary ammonium biocides and substituted guanidine biocides, (ii) acationic polymer, (iii) a surfactant selected from the group consistingof nonionic and cationic surfactants, and (iv) water.

Where the biocidal disinfecting material is a quaternary ammoniumbiocide, particularly useful quaternary ammonium germicides are thosedescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,268,327. In this regard, quaternaryammonium biocides of this type have the nitrogen linked to fourcarbon-containing R groups and there is a salt-forming anionic member,such as a halide. The most preferred R groups are between 6 to 26 carbonatoms.

Particularly preferred exemplary quaternary ammonium salts which arequaternary ammonium biocides are alkyl ammonium halides such as cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, alkyl aryl ammonium halides such as alkyldimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, N-alkyl pyridinium halides such asN-cetyl pyridinium bromide, and the like. Other suitable types ofquaternary ammonium salts may include those in which the moleculecontains either amide or ester linkages such as octyl phenoxy ethoxyethyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride,N-(laurylcocoaminoformylmethyl)-pyridinium chloride, and the like. Otherquaternary ammonium germicides are lauryloxyphenyltrimethyl ammoniumchloride, cetylaminophenyltrimethyl ammonium methosulfate,dodecylphenyltrimethyl ammonium methosulfate, dodecylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride, and chlorinated dodecylbenzyltrimethyl ammoniumchloride.

Examples of such preferred quaternary ammonium biocides are the BTC®,BARDAC®, and HYAMINE® biocides, such as BTC 2125M. BTC biocides areavailable from Stepan Co., and BARDAC and HYAMINE biocides are availablefrom Lonza, Inc.

We prefer to use these biocides at under 1 percent to minimize cost andreduce disruption to the other characteristics of the mixture. However,the concentration could be more, albeit the concentration could be aslittle as 0.001 percent by weight. Most preferably we prefer weightpercentages between 0.10 percent and 0.5 percent when this type ofgermicide is used.

The biocidal disinfecting material can alternatively be a substitutedguanidine anti-microbial agent. See generally U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,867for compounds of this general class.

In the most preferred form the biocidal substituted guanidine compoundmay be a biguanide. In general, such a biguanide compound may containone or more monomers of:

In this formula R¹ through R⁴ can be a variety of different moieties.Examples are aryl, alkyl, hydrogen or just bonds. Some of these arewhere R¹ and R² are alkylene chains optionally substituted by a phenylradical (which itself optionally may be substituted by alkyl or alkoxygroups), and the other R groups may be hydrogen, C₁₋₁₂ alkyl or C₇₋₁₂aralkyl. It is also possible that some of the R groups may be linked toform cyclic portions. The substituted guanidine (e.g. biguanide)anti-microbial agents also include the acid addition salt variants.

A particularly preferred bisbiguanide is1,6-bis-(p-chlorophenyldiguanido)hexane in the form of thehydrochloride, acetate or gluconate, this compound is available fromAvecia of Manchester, England.

The preferred concentration of the substituted guanide disinfectant inthe cleaner is preferably that described above with respect to thequaternary ammonium disinfectants.

In preferred forms the water is at least 50 percent of the weight of thecleaner at the time of use. Of course, the formulation may be preparedas a concentrate, with the consumer diluting the concentrate in a bucketimmediately prior to use.

In another preferred form the cleaner has an organic solvent whichprovides a wider range of cleaning capability to the cleaner (e.g. withrespect to hydrophobic soils on the floor). Preferred amounts of organicsolvent are between 0.05 percent and 10 of the cleaner, most preferablybetween 1 and 5 percent of the cleaner, with the solvent being a mixtureof such solvents. A particularly preferred mixture of organic solventsis a mixture of two glycol ethers such as a mixture of diethylene glycolbutyl ether (a/k/a butyl carbitol) and ethylene glycol hexyl ether(a/k/a hexyl cellosolve).

Further, a third solvent (such as propylene glycol or ethylene glycol)can be used with this preferred mixture. In an especially preferred format least one of the three solvents has a boiling point of over 100° C.so as to provide the final product with optimal visual characteristicson a floor or the like.

Where the product is intended as a floor cleaner, it is desirable toinclude a wax in the cleaner so as to leave a shine on the floor afterthe cleaning and disinfecting step has been completed. Preferred waxesare paraffin wax, carnuba wax and synthetic wax, or mixtures thereof. Aparticularly preferred wax is a nonionic paraffin sold under the nameMichem Lube 743 supplied by Michaelman of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Another especially important attribute of the cleaner is the cationicpolymer. It is preferably present at between 1 and 20 percentconcentration, most preferably at about 6 to 8 weight percent of thecleaner at the time of use. Again, where the cleaner is supplied as aconcentrate the percentages can be higher, subject to the dilution priorto use.

A wide variety of cationic polymers should be suitable for use with thepresent invention. This will normally be achieved by a polymer beingfunctionalized with some nitrogen-containing moiety capable of becomingcationic.

The most preferred polymers are emulsion polymers such as those madefrom acrylate monomers at least in part. Examples of such polymers areSuretec NS 54, a cationic acrylate emulsion polymer supplied by Suretec,Inc. formed from a monomer mix of styrene, methyl methacrylate, dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate, and butyl acrylate. Other example polymers arethe Neocryl A series polymers from Avecia, Inc.

Preferred aspects of the cationic emulsion polymer are that there besome polymeric portion (e.g. acrylic, urethane, etc.) which isfunctionalized by a cationic group such as a nitrogen group.Particularly preferred polymers exceed 2000 in molecular weight. This isimportant because the polymer will then provide sufficient bulk toprovide durability under floor use conditions.

The presence of a cationic portion is important. Without wishing to bebound by theory, we believe that polymers used to impart shine containresidual impurities that tend to quench the specific biocidal materialseven if the impurities are present in only trace amounts.

As noted above, it is desirable that the cleaner, at the time of use,and preferably during storage, have a pH that is not basic. Moreover,the desirable properties of the cleaner are greatly enhanced if the pHis between 4 and 6. While an even lower pH is possible, that might beginto have adverse effects on the floor or other surface being treated,and/or place undesirable limitations on skin contact.

While a wide variety of nonionic and cationic surfactants are possibleto include, we prefer to include only nonionic surfactants given thatcationic surfactants sometimes have foaming and other characteristicsmaking them somewhat more difficult to use for standard floor carepurposes. The most preferred surfactants are the alkyl polyglucosides.Other nonionic surfactants should prove suitable, such as ethoxylates,pluronics, fatty ester nonionic surfactants, and ethanolamine nonionicsurfactants.

Examples of preferred cationic surfactants, when they are used, are theAmmonyx surfactants available from Stepan of Northfield, Ill. However,many other cationic surfactants are believed suitable for use with thepresent invention.

The formulation optionally may also include a variety of otheringredients conventional in floor care (e.g. a chelating agent such asEDTA, a plasticizer such as tributoxy ethyl phosphate, and fragrance).Further, other ingredients that are not disruptive to the function ofthe product may also be included. In this regard, in some embodiments wealso prefer to include a fluorosurfactant for additional visual effects.

In another aspect the invention provides a method of killing bacteria ona floor surface. One exposes the floor surface to a floor cleaner of theabove type, thereby killing the bacteria.

It should be appreciated that the above compositions achieve surprisingdisinfectant results using relatively small amounts of disinfectant.Most importantly this is achieved without significantly adverselyimpacting on other desired attributes of the product (e.g. cleaning,shelf stability, residual shine, durability).

Because the amount of disinfectant can be reduced for a given level ofdisinfecting capability, the cost of the product can be reduced.Further, the product is suitable for long-term inventory and consumerstorage.

The foregoing and other advantages of the present invention will appearfrom the following description. In the description reference is made topreferred embodiments of the invention. These embodiments do notrepresent the full scope of the invention. Rather, reference shouldtherefore be made to the claims herein for interpreting the full scopeof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment (“Formula A”) of the cleaner of the present invention isa disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 87.09 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 0.20 EDTAtetrasodium base cleaner salt of ethylene diamine tetramine 7.00 SuretecNS cationic builder conditioner 54 emulsion polymer 0.08 acetic aceticacid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactantcleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethylbiocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solventcleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.20 KF 140 tributoxy solvent cleaner ethyl phosphate 0.40Zestofresh mixture of fragrance fragrance 133.285 F fragrance oils

A second embodiment (“Formula B”) of the cleaner of the presentinvention is a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 87.09 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 0.20 EDTAtetrasodium base cleaner salt of ethylene diamine tetramine 7.00 NeocrylA- cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.08 acetic aceticacid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactantcleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethylbiocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solventcleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.20 KP 140 tributoxy solvent cleaner ethyl phosphate 0.40Zestofresh mixture of fragrance fragrance 133.285 F fragrance oils

A third embodiment (“Formula C”) of the cleaner of the present inventionis a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 86.97 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 0.20 EDTAtetrasodium base cleaner salt of ethylene diamine tetramine 7.00 NeocrylA- cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.40 acetic aceticacid organic acid adjust the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactant cleanerpolyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethyl biocidedisinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solvent cleanercarbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.40 Zestofresh mixture of fragrance fragrance 133.285 Ffragrance oils

A fourth embodiment (“Formula D”) of the cleaner of the presentinvention is a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 87.17 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 7.00 Neocryl A-cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.40 acetic aceticacid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactantcleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethylbiocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solventcleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.40 Zestofresh mixture of fragrance fragrance 133.285 Ffragrance oils

A fifth embodiment (“Formula E”) of the cleaner of the present inventionis a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 86.97 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 7.00 Neocryl A-cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.40 stearic stearicacid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactantcleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethylbiocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solventcleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.40 Zestofresh mixture of fragrance fragrance 133.285 Ffragrance oils 0.20 KP 140 tributoxy solvent cleaner ethyl phosphate

A sixth embodiment (“Formula F”) of the cleaner of the present inventionis a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 86.97 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 7.00 Neocryl A-cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.20 EDTA tetrasodiumbase cleaner sodium salt of salt ethylene diamine tetramine 0.40 stearicstearic acid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkylsurfactant cleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyldimethyl biocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butylsolvent cleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleanercellosolve cellosolve 0.40 Zestofresh mixture of fragrance fragrance133.285 F fragrance oils

A seventh embodiment (“Formula G”) of the cleaner of the presentinvention is a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 87.17 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 7.00 Neocryl A-cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.40 stearic stearicacid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactantcleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethylbiocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solventcleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.40 Zestofresh mixture of fragrance fragrance 133.285 Ffragrance oils

An eighth embodiment (“Formula H”) of the cleaner of the presentinvention is a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 86.77 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 7.00 Neocryl A-cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.40 stearic stearicacid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactantcleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethylbiocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solventcleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.40 Zestofresh mixture of fragrance fragrance 133.285 Ffragrance oils 0.20 EDTA tetrasodium base cleaner sodium salt of saltethylene diamine tetramine 0.20 KP 140 tributoxy solvent cleaner ethylphosphate

A ninth embodiment (“Formula I”) of the cleaner of the present inventionis a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 86.09 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 0.20 EDTAtetrasodium base cleaner salt of ethylene diamine tetramine 7.00 NeocrylA- cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.08 acetic aceticacid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactantcleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethylbiocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solventcleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 1.0 propylene propylene solvent cleaner glycol glycol 0.20 KP140 tributoxy solvent cleaner ethyl phosphate 0.40 Zestofresh mixture offragrance fragrance 133.285 F fragrance oils

A tenth embodiment (“Formula J”) of the cleaner of the present inventionis a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 86.09 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 0.20 EDTAtetrasodium base cleaner salt of ethylene diamine tetramine 7.00 NeocrylA- cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.08 acetic aceticacid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactantcleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethylbiocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solventcleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 1.0 ethylene ethylene solvent cleaner glycol glycol 0.20 KP140 tributoxy solvent cleaner ethyl phosphate 0.40 Zestofresh mixture offragrance fragrance 133.285 F fragrance oils

An eleventh embodiment (“Formula K”) of the cleaner of the presentinvention is a disinfecting floor cleaner having the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 86.99 deionized water water water water 1.77 Michemnon-ionic builder conditioner Lube 743 paraffin wax 0.20 EDTAtetrasodium base cleaner salt of ethylene diamine tetramine 7.00 NeocrylA- cationic builder conditioner 410 emulsion polymer 0.08 acetic aceticacid organic acid adjusts the pH acid 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactantcleaner polyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethylbiocide disinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 1.75 butyl butyl solventcleaner carbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.20 KP 140 tributoxy solvent cleaner ethyl phosphate 0.40Zestofresh mixture of fragrance fragrance 133.285 F fragrance oils 0.10fluororad fluorocarbon surfactant cleaner

For comparison purposes we also created two other analogous formulationswhere the formula contained a non-cationic emulsion polymer in place ofthe cationic acrylic emulsion polymer. Formula L has the followingformula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 89.11 deionized water water water water 1.77 wax syntheticwax builder conditioner emulsion 0.20 EDTA tetrasodium base cleanersodium salt of salt ethylene diamine tetramine 6.64 NT-2624 non-cationicbuilder conditioner emulsion polymer 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactant cleanerpolyglucos polyglucoside ide 0.28 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethyl biocidedisinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 0.57 butyl butyl solvent cleanercarbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.20 KP 140 tributoxy solvent cleaner ethyl phosphate

Formula M had the following formula:

Function Weight Common within the Percent Name Chemical Name Typeformulation 88.555 deionized water water water water 1.77 wax syntheticwax builder conditioner emulsion 0.20 EDTA tetrasodium base cleanersodium salt of salt ethylene diamine tetramine 6.64 NT-2624 cationicbuilder conditioner emulsion polymer 1.00 alkyl alkyl surfactant cleanerpolyglucos polyglycoside ide 0.84 BTC 2125 M alkyl dimethyl biocidedisinfectant benzyl ammonium chloride 0.57 butyl butyl solvent cleanercarbitol cellosolve 0.23 hexyl hexyl solvent cleaner cellosolvecellosolve 0.20 KP 140 tributoxy solvent cleaner ethyl phosphate

To test the disinfectant properties of the formulas A and B versus L andM listed above, we generally followed the protocol for disinfectantsspecified in European Standard EN 1040:1997 “Bactericidal activity ofchemical disinfectants”, with both gram positive and gram negativebacteria.

With respect to each of four typical contaminating bacteria we testedthe number of colony forming units at time zero, and the number ofcolony forming units at the end of the test after a standard timeperiod. The log reduction of colony forming units per ml was as followsfor each of the tests:

Formulation Log Reduction Formulation A Staphlococcus aureus >6.19Pseudonomas aeruginosa >6.53 Escherichia coli >6.14 Enterococcushirae >6.15 Formulation B Staphlococcus aureus >6.36 Pseudonomasaeruginosa >6.27 Escherichia coli >6.14 Enterococcus hirae >6.15Formulation L Staphlococcus aureus <4.65 Pseudonomas aeruginosa >6.14Escherichia coli <4.64 Enterococcus hirae <4.43 Formulation MStaphlococcus aureus <4.65 Pseudonomas aeruginosa <5.55 Escherichia coli<4.64 Enterococcus hirae <4.43

As can be seen, formulations of the present invention were surprisinglymore effective across a broad range of challenge bacteria. Yet, theseresults were achieved even though other desired characteristics of thecleaner were retained (particularly with respect to suspensioncharacteristics).

The preceding description is merely of preferred embodiments of theinvention. One skilled in the art will readily apprehend alternativeembodiments that nevertheless fall within the scope and breadth of theinvention. Thus, the claims should be looked to in order to understandthe full scope of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

Disclosed are hard surface cleaners with improved disinfectantcapability.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cleaner having a pH of 7.0 or lower, the cleaner comprising: a biocidal disinfecting material selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium biocides and substituted guanidine biocides; a cationic polymer formed from at least one acrylate monomer; a surfactant selected from the group consisting of nonionic and cationic surfactants; and optionally water.
 2. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein water is present in the cleaner and the pH of the cleaner is between 4.0 and 6.0.
 3. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the biocidal disinfecting material is a quaternary ammonium biocide.
 4. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the biocidal disinfecting material is a biguanide.
 5. The cleaner of claim 4, wherein the biocidal disinfecting material is a bisbiguanide.
 6. The cleaner of claim 2, wherein the water is at least 50 percent of the weight of the cleaner.
 7. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising an organic solvent.
 8. The cleaner of claim 7, wherein the organic solvent is a glycol ether having a boiling point of over 100° C. at standard atmospheric pressure.
 9. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner is a floor cleaner and the cleaner further comprises a wax selected from the group consisting of paraffin wax, carnuba wax and synthetic wax.
 10. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner also includes an organic acid.
 11. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner includes a nonionic surfactant.
 12. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner further comprises a fluorosurfactant.
 13. A method of killing a bacteria on a floor surface, comprising exposing the surface to a floor cleaner, wherein the floor cleaner has a pH of 6.0 or lower and comprises: a biocidal disinfecting material selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium biocides and substituted guanidine biocides; a cationic polymer formed from at least one acrylate monomer; a surfactant selected from the group consisting of nonionic and cationic surfactants; and water. 